Hi everyone!
Here's a brief breakdown of some Seawatch totals and highlights for the 2018 season!
Top 5 (south):
Black Scoter - 280,462 [Highest season total ever]
Surf Scoter - 114,909
Red-throated Loon - 59,828
Northern Gannet - 33,812
Double-crested Cormorant - 129,478
Rarities (north + south):
Cackling Goose - 1
Ross's Goose - 1
King Eider - 3
Harlequin Duck - 4
Pacific Loon - 1
Cory's Shearwater - 5
Manx Shearwater - 10
shearwater sp. - 3
Red-necked Grebe - 9
Brown Booby - 1
Piping Plover - 1
Marbled Godwit - 1
Black-legged Kittiwake - 20
Little Gull - 1
Arctic Tern - 1
Pomarine Jaeger - 4
Long-tailed Jaeger - 1
Razorbill - 2530
large alcid sp. - 1259
Other Notable Totals (south):
Northern Pintail - 947 on 10/16 [highest single day total ever]
Common Eider - 266 [third highest season ever]
Long-tailed Duck - 3528 [highest season since 1997]
Red-breasted Merganser - 995 [second lowest season ever]
Black-crowned Night-Heron - 68 on 10/12 [second highest single day total]
American Oystercatcher - 177 on 10/12 [highest single day total ever]
A huge thanks to all the visitors who visited the Seawatch this season, to Swarovski for providing the amazing optics, and to Tom Reed for all his help this season!
Best,
David Weber
Seawatch - December 17-22
The final week of the Seawatch! And what a week it was. We had a massive flight of Razorbills; the largest in Seawatch history. We also topped off the season with a few rarities! Here are the totals per day:
December 17: 1610
December 18: 2768
December 19: 2617
December 20: 1695
December 21: 71
December 22: 4369
Tom Reed had some excellent birds on Monday and Tuesday, with a Canvasback, two Harlequin Ducks, a late Laughing Gull, and 6 Black-legged Kittiwakes. There was also an excellent Long-tailed Duck flight on Tuesday the 18th, with 804 southbound birds.
Wednesday had a couple Mute Swan fly north past the jetty, a scarce bird at the Seawatch, a southbound Ruddy Duck, and a Red-necked Grebe. And the last day of the Seawatch, the 22nd, had two jaegers--one a Pomarine and another left unidentified.
But undoubtably the highlight of the week was the massive Razorbill flight that occurred. Here are the numbers of both southbound and northbound birds, adding together both closer definite Razorbills and distant large alcid sp. (which are almost certainly all Razorbill):
Monday the 17th: 9 south, 220 north
Tuesday the 18th: 713 south, 113 northWednesday the 19th: 455 south, 108 northThursday the 20th: 6 south, 59 northFriday the 21st: 0 (fogged in)Saturday the 22nd: 2067(!!!) south, 27 north
I even went back out at sunrise the day after the count ended to see if the movement continued, and Tom Reed the day after that:
Sunday the 23rd: 453 south
Monday the 24th: 298 south
That's an unprecedented total of over 4500 actively migrating alcids in 8 days! (To put that in perspective, the highest season total for Razorbill before this week was 86!) And with over 2000 on the last day of the count, along with 1000 Northern Gannets, the last day was certainly memorable!
That's a wrap on another great season! Stay tuned for a season overview and wrap-up!
David Weber
December 17: 1610
December 18: 2768
December 19: 2617
December 20: 1695
December 21: 71
December 22: 4369
Tom Reed had some excellent birds on Monday and Tuesday, with a Canvasback, two Harlequin Ducks, a late Laughing Gull, and 6 Black-legged Kittiwakes. There was also an excellent Long-tailed Duck flight on Tuesday the 18th, with 804 southbound birds.
Wednesday had a couple Mute Swan fly north past the jetty, a scarce bird at the Seawatch, a southbound Ruddy Duck, and a Red-necked Grebe. And the last day of the Seawatch, the 22nd, had two jaegers--one a Pomarine and another left unidentified.
But undoubtably the highlight of the week was the massive Razorbill flight that occurred. Here are the numbers of both southbound and northbound birds, adding together both closer definite Razorbills and distant large alcid sp. (which are almost certainly all Razorbill):
Monday the 17th: 9 south, 220 north
Tuesday the 18th: 713 south, 113 northWednesday the 19th: 455 south, 108 northThursday the 20th: 6 south, 59 northFriday the 21st: 0 (fogged in)Saturday the 22nd: 2067(!!!) south, 27 north
I even went back out at sunrise the day after the count ended to see if the movement continued, and Tom Reed the day after that:
Sunday the 23rd: 453 south
Monday the 24th: 298 south
That's an unprecedented total of over 4500 actively migrating alcids in 8 days! (To put that in perspective, the highest season total for Razorbill before this week was 86!) And with over 2000 on the last day of the count, along with 1000 Northern Gannets, the last day was certainly memorable!
That's a wrap on another great season! Stay tuned for a season overview and wrap-up!
David Weber
Seawatch - December 10-16
What started off as a good week with good scoter movement and diversity ended as a very slow week with little movement. Here are the totals:
December 10: 4532
December 11: 2675
December 12: 970
December 13: 1584
December 14: 648
December 15: 396
December 16: 606
Tom Reed had a good Monday and Tuesday highlighted by a Razorbill, Cackling Goose, Red-necked Grebe, and a Black-legged Kittiwake, along with a couple thousand scoters. The rest of the week afterward, however, was very slow with very little movement. Check out the individual day totals to see more details!
Stay tuned for our last week of the count! As a little sneak preview, we've had at least a couple Razorbills so far...
David Weber
December 10: 4532
December 11: 2675
December 12: 970
December 13: 1584
December 14: 648
December 15: 396
December 16: 606
Tom Reed had a good Monday and Tuesday highlighted by a Razorbill, Cackling Goose, Red-necked Grebe, and a Black-legged Kittiwake, along with a couple thousand scoters. The rest of the week afterward, however, was very slow with very little movement. Check out the individual day totals to see more details!
Stay tuned for our last week of the count! As a little sneak preview, we've had at least a couple Razorbills so far...
David Weber
Seawatch - December 3-9, 2018
Unlike last week, this week was much more consistent with west and northwesterly winds all week and 2-4 thousand birds. Here're the totals for the week:
December 3: 4904
December 4: 3204
December 5: 2102
December 6: 2690
December 7: 2221
December 8: 3477
December 9: 2372
Tom Reed had very diverse days on the 3rd and 4th, highlighted by a Ross's Goose, Canvasback and Redheads, a Common Merganser, 3 Razorbills, 2 King Eiders, a Harlequin Duck, a Red-necked Grebe, and even a late Least Sandpiper and an American Woodcock coming in off the ocean.
Wednesday the 5th was relatively slow but brought a Humpback Whale and another Harlequin duck. The 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th all brought 100+ Long-tailed Ducks each day. The 8th had another small push of scoters, with 1000+ Black Scoters and 300+ Surf Scoter.
There are some east winds in the forecast, so make sure to keep track of what shows up at the Seawatch!
December 3: 4904
December 4: 3204
December 5: 2102
December 6: 2690
December 7: 2221
December 8: 3477
December 9: 2372
Tom Reed had very diverse days on the 3rd and 4th, highlighted by a Ross's Goose, Canvasback and Redheads, a Common Merganser, 3 Razorbills, 2 King Eiders, a Harlequin Duck, a Red-necked Grebe, and even a late Least Sandpiper and an American Woodcock coming in off the ocean.
Wednesday the 5th was relatively slow but brought a Humpback Whale and another Harlequin duck. The 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th all brought 100+ Long-tailed Ducks each day. The 8th had another small push of scoters, with 1000+ Black Scoters and 300+ Surf Scoter.
There are some east winds in the forecast, so make sure to keep track of what shows up at the Seawatch!
Seawatch - November 26 - December 2, 2018
The days are becoming much more hit and miss as we enter December. The difference between east wind and west wind days is more noticeable, but there's always something moving here at the Seawatch! Check out our totals from this past week:
November 26: 6140
November 27: 3177
November 28: 976
November 29: 3572
November 30: 12,024
December 1: 9093
December 2: 373
The most exciting news from this week is that we have officially broken the record for the highest season count of Black Scoter!!! Those who were following along last year know that last year was the record high count of Black Scoter as well, with around 264,000. Well, at the end of this week, we already have 270,000! How many will we end the season with? Keep checking in to the blog to find out!
Rare birds of the week include Little Gull, 5 Razorbill, and a Pomarine Jaeger. The highlight of the week was definitely the flight of November 30th, with 12,000 total birds! I had 4500 Black Scoter that day, which officially put us over last year's single season record of Black Scoter, along with nearly 1400 Surf Scoter and 1100 Surf/Black Scoters. Not to mention 2300 Red-throated Loons and 100 Long-tailed Ducks! For a late November day, there were certainly lots of scoter!
There weren't too many other standout days, so be sure to check out each day's count to see what I'm not mentioning!
Good birding!
November 26: 6140
November 27: 3177
November 28: 976
November 29: 3572
November 30: 12,024
December 1: 9093
December 2: 373
The most exciting news from this week is that we have officially broken the record for the highest season count of Black Scoter!!! Those who were following along last year know that last year was the record high count of Black Scoter as well, with around 264,000. Well, at the end of this week, we already have 270,000! How many will we end the season with? Keep checking in to the blog to find out!
Rare birds of the week include Little Gull, 5 Razorbill, and a Pomarine Jaeger. The highlight of the week was definitely the flight of November 30th, with 12,000 total birds! I had 4500 Black Scoter that day, which officially put us over last year's single season record of Black Scoter, along with nearly 1400 Surf Scoter and 1100 Surf/Black Scoters. Not to mention 2300 Red-throated Loons and 100 Long-tailed Ducks! For a late November day, there were certainly lots of scoter!
There weren't too many other standout days, so be sure to check out each day's count to see what I'm not mentioning!
Good birding!
Hawkwatch - End of Season Summary - 53,399 Raptors & More!!
Text and photos by Erik
Bruhnke
2018 Cape May Hawkwatch
Counter
Cape May Bird
Observatory
The 2018 Cape May
Hawkwatch enjoyed many highlights throughout the season. Quieter moments took
place earlier on in September, with record-breaking highlights throughout the
middle portion of migration, and solid late-season flights continuing through
the closing day.
September was filled
with a smattering of unseasonably hot days. The warm temperatures mixed with
east and southeast winds to create lulls in the numbers of raptors detected
daily. There was one catch to the less-than-favorable conditions... while these
winds often keep many soaring raptors to the north (farther away from Cape May
Point) they also bring raptors that might be migrating over the ocean into view
from the hawkwatch. Despite these challenging winds, this season racked up the
second highest seasonal Osprey count (6064 individuals) and second highest
seasonal Peregrine Falcon count (1520 individuals) in the history of the Cape
May Hawkwatch! Both of these raptors are known for migrating over both land and
bodies of water. These species are sometimes seen at first light hauling across
Delaware Bay, and they can also be seen midday soaring high overhead with the
other raptors. A total of 11,986 raptors were counted throughout September.
Early morning songbird flights of warblers and other long-distance songbird
migrants wowed visitors all month long.
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Juvenile
Peregrine Falcon
|
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Sharp-shinned
Hawk
|
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| This rare Manx Shearwater showed up on September 9th. It is being chased by a Parasitic Jaeger in this photo. |
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| One of seven Hudsonian Godwits counted from the hawkwatch platform. |
October was filled with
many cool days supported by north and northwest winds. On October 12th, the
largest American Kestrel count ever documented in Cape May took place. These
beautiful falcons were already aloft by twilight, migrating through the early morning
skies of violet and black. By day's end, 5,406 American Kestrels had been
tallied. Watching them was mesmerizing. Counting them was exhilarating.
Witnessing that day's migration felt like a dream. Fourteen of the 15 Golden
Eagles observed this fall were also seen in October, part of the month’s total
of 35,305 raptors. Winter finches also begun moving through the area.
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American
Kestrel
|
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Immature
Golden Eagle
|
Like October, November
was filled with many cool days and northwest winds. We experienced numerous
exciting flights of Red-tailed Hawks and Red-shouldered Hawks. Northern Goshawk
numbers increased as the month progressed. All of the 17 Northern Goshawk documented
this fall were seen in November. A strong Bald Eagle flight continued from the
previous two months, tallying 921 individuals for the season. This is the
highest Bald Eagle total ever compiled in Cape May hawkcounting history. A
total of 6,205 raptors were counted in November. A grand total of 15 species of
raptors were documented throughout the three months.
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Juvenile
Red-tailed Hawk
|
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Juvenile
Northern Goshawk
|
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Adult
Red-shouldered Hawk
|
Hawkwatches are great
places to study raptors and non-raptors alike. One of the pleasures of the Cape
May Hawkwatch is its proximity to the ocean as well as its placement at the end
of a prominent peninsula. Forests and marshes to our north offer shelter and
food for a rich variety of birds migrating through the area. Beyond the tip of
Cape May Point is the Delaware Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, which bring many offshore-dwelling
birds into view. Just beyond the hawkwatch platform is Bunker Pond, an
important source of food and fresh water to many waterfowl and shorebirds
making their way through. The adjacent habitats of Cape May Point State Park
are home to many year-round and migrating bird species. The overall bird migration
this season lived up to its claim to fame! The annual "inundation" of
Yellow-rumped Warblers and high-flying American Robins took place. Swirling
murmurations of Tree Swallows took our breath away as they flocked together for
safety or merely took a break from eating the rich supply of bayberries. It is
a great challenge putting this spectacle into words. These flights of birds
will change the way you see the outdoors.
Winter finches were also
a noteworthy part of this fall's highlights. Busy flocks of Purple Finches
poured through the skies earlier on, followed by several Red Crossbills,
Evening Grosbeaks, Common Redpolls, Pine Siskins, and thousands of American
Goldfinches. Throughout the season we also witnessed Sandhill Cranes flying by,
a rare but annual treat for the area. A Little Gull was documented in November,
only to be followed by a Black-headed Gull!
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Sandhill
Cranes
|
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Juvenile
Black-headed Gull
|
Every fall is different,
and the world around us is ever-changing. This year marked the 43rd season
of the Cape May Hawkwatch. Us hawk counters do what we do for the love of bird
migration and for the love of contributing to a better understanding of birds.
A special shout out goes to Count Coordinator Tom Reed for his using his
expertise and skills as a relief counter. The 53,495 raptors counted this fall
will take their place in the long-term analysis of population trends. This
season total represents the highest raptor count since 1999. The camaraderie of
everyone coming together has again made this such a special place. Birds bring
us together, and it has been a pleasure experiencing this migration with
everyone who reads the blog and visits the hawkwatch.
Wishing you all good
birding,
Erik Bruhnke
Hawkwatch - Sunday-Tuesday November 25-29, 2018
The past few days have been filled with a mix of weather conditions. Earlier in the week we had southeast winds and rainy conditions. The more-recent past few days have been filled with strong winds out of the west and northwest. These winds can really funnel birds into the area. Today, November 29th, there were 178 birds tallied from the hawkwatch... a solid raptor count for a late November day. It will be interesting to see what raptors show up tomorrow.
Tomorrow is the last day of the 2018 Cape May Hawk Watch. Stop by and bring your binoculars for a fun time to enjoy the migration, natural beauty of the area, and to reminisce about the many fun times earlier in the fall. It would be great to see you tomorrow!
Good hawkwatching,
Erik Bruhnke
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| Adult Bald Eagle flushing the ducks on Bunker Pond. |
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| Juvenile Sharp-shinned Hawk |
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| Juvenile Black-headed Gull |
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| Big flock of blackbirds! Most of them are Common Grackles. Look closely for the Red-winged Blackbirds and Brown-headed Cowbirds. |
Good hawkwatching,
Erik Bruhnke
Seawatch - November 19-25, 2018
The past week had several good days with 10,000+ birds, consisting of a lot of Red-throated Loons and scoters! Here's the weekly breakdown (including northbound birds):
November 19: 18,923
November 20: 15,627
November 21: 4,548
November 22: 3,517
November 23: 14,618
November 24: 10,071
November 25: 5,005
Rarities this week included a King Eider, a Black-legged Kittiwake, and a Pomarine Jaeger, as well as some Common Mergansers and two Canvasbacks, which are unusual past the Seawatch. Also very interesting were a Common Redpoll north past the Seawatch on the 19th and an American Woodcock coming in off the ocean on the 22nd. The 19th and 20th had big Red-throated Loons days, with 6400 and 8200 respectively. The 23rd and 24th had over 5000 and 6000 scoters respectively.
Check out the links above to see the exact totals!
November 19: 18,923
November 20: 15,627
November 21: 4,548
November 22: 3,517
November 23: 14,618
November 24: 10,071
November 25: 5,005
Rarities this week included a King Eider, a Black-legged Kittiwake, and a Pomarine Jaeger, as well as some Common Mergansers and two Canvasbacks, which are unusual past the Seawatch. Also very interesting were a Common Redpoll north past the Seawatch on the 19th and an American Woodcock coming in off the ocean on the 22nd. The 19th and 20th had big Red-throated Loons days, with 6400 and 8200 respectively. The 23rd and 24th had over 5000 and 6000 scoters respectively.
Check out the links above to see the exact totals!
Hawkwatch - Saturday, November 24, 2018
Blustery east winds kept many raptors at bay, both figuratively and literally. East winds slow down the rate of raptors approaching the southernmost tip of New Jersey, and keep them a little north of us where they attempt to cross the Delaware Bay. Several Red-tailed Hawks and Red-shouldered Hawks made an appearance, as did a greater number of Sharp-shinned Hawks. It was a slower day overall for migration. The hawkwatch ended up closing at 2:30pm today due to rain.
Tomorrow's forecast is sunny skies and northwest winds. These conditions are really good for migrating raptors to pass through the Cape May area. Hope to see you at the hawkwatch!
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| Today's sightings. |
Good hawkwatching,
Erik Bruhnke
Hawkwatch - November 20-23, 2018
Recent northwest winds and a strong cold front have brought many raptors our way. Kettles of Red-shouldered Hawks and Red-tailed Hawks are continuing to push through. Solid Bald Eagle numbers are expanding our Bald Eagle season totals; the highest Bald Eagle count in the history of the Cape May Hawk Watch. Two Northern Goshawk made an appearance this morning; one of them perching within 50 feet of the hawkwatching platform! Bunker Pond almost froze over entirely last night. It's been a brisk and bird-filled past few days.
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| Sunrise behind the hawkwatch platform, full moon on the horizon. |
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| Sandhill Cranes. |
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| Juvenile Northern Harrier. |
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| Juvenile Northern Goshawk perched nearby! |
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| Great Cormorant (upper left) and Double-crested Cormorant (bottom right). |
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| Today's totals. |
See you at the hawkwatch,
Erik Bruhnke
Seawatch - November 12-18, 2018
Sorry for the delay in getting out the blogs! Here are the numbers for last week:
November 12: 31,943
November 13: 9,440
November 14: 6,750
November 15: 13,145
November 16: 6,518
November 17: 7,612
November 18: 16,016
Tom Reed had an excellent day on Monday the 12th, with over 1000 Green-winged Teal, over 10,000 scoters, over 4000 Red-throated Loons, and a good gull movement consisting of over 600 Laughing Gulls and over 1000 Ring-billed Gulls. There was also an excellent diversity of ducks, with 21 species! Tuesday the 13th was quite a bit slower for Tom, but was headlined by a Red-necked Grebe, a Razorbill, and even a Gray Seal! The 2116 southbound Black Scoters made up the majority of Tuesday's flight.
Wednesday the 14th was even slower than the previous day, but was highlighted by a flock of 31 Tundra Swans, another Red-necked Grebe, a few late Black Skimmers and a late Osprey, and a close Common Goldeneye. The day was dominated, as most days this week were, by Red-throated Loons, with 1762 throughout the day.
Thursday the 15th had strong easterly winds, which produced 3560 Surf Scoter and 4683 Black Scoter. Not to be forgotten, 2073 Red-throated Loons were in the mix as well. Also of note was a nice movement of over 300 scaup, 771 Green-winged Teal, and a Razorbill.
Friday the 16th was quite different, with only a few hundred loons and scoters each, but with a late push of 1770 Double-crested Cormorants and 1224 Laughing Gulls! A late Brown Pelican was seen heading north toward Sea Isle and 10 Common Eider were seen going south.
Saturday the 17th was dominated by Red-throated Loons, with 3436 tallied. Nearly 1000 Black Scoter and over 400 Surf Scoter were counted along with a smattering of gulls and ducks in small numbers. A diverse but low number day overall.
Sunday the 18th had straight north winds and was quite cold in the morning (37 degrees), causing a good movement of scoters and loons. 5174 Black Scoter, 3175 Surf Scoter, and 38 White-winged Scoters kept the day very busy, while a solid 3648 Red-throated Loons made the day hectic at time! It's often hard to keep track of everything when a wave of loons totaling upwards of 500 birds comes through all in a few minutes! (Not to mention how tired my clicker hand gets!) A big shoutout to Chris Payne, previous Montclair Hawkwatcher and fresh off a season at the Florida Keys Hawkwatch, for helping count scoters while I was busy with loons.
That's all for last week! I encourage you to take a look at the individual numbers for each day, and stay tuned for this week's summary!
Good birding,
David Weber
November 12: 31,943
November 13: 9,440
November 14: 6,750
November 15: 13,145
November 16: 6,518
November 17: 7,612
November 18: 16,016
Tom Reed had an excellent day on Monday the 12th, with over 1000 Green-winged Teal, over 10,000 scoters, over 4000 Red-throated Loons, and a good gull movement consisting of over 600 Laughing Gulls and over 1000 Ring-billed Gulls. There was also an excellent diversity of ducks, with 21 species! Tuesday the 13th was quite a bit slower for Tom, but was headlined by a Red-necked Grebe, a Razorbill, and even a Gray Seal! The 2116 southbound Black Scoters made up the majority of Tuesday's flight.
Wednesday the 14th was even slower than the previous day, but was highlighted by a flock of 31 Tundra Swans, another Red-necked Grebe, a few late Black Skimmers and a late Osprey, and a close Common Goldeneye. The day was dominated, as most days this week were, by Red-throated Loons, with 1762 throughout the day.
Thursday the 15th had strong easterly winds, which produced 3560 Surf Scoter and 4683 Black Scoter. Not to be forgotten, 2073 Red-throated Loons were in the mix as well. Also of note was a nice movement of over 300 scaup, 771 Green-winged Teal, and a Razorbill.
Friday the 16th was quite different, with only a few hundred loons and scoters each, but with a late push of 1770 Double-crested Cormorants and 1224 Laughing Gulls! A late Brown Pelican was seen heading north toward Sea Isle and 10 Common Eider were seen going south.
Saturday the 17th was dominated by Red-throated Loons, with 3436 tallied. Nearly 1000 Black Scoter and over 400 Surf Scoter were counted along with a smattering of gulls and ducks in small numbers. A diverse but low number day overall.
Sunday the 18th had straight north winds and was quite cold in the morning (37 degrees), causing a good movement of scoters and loons. 5174 Black Scoter, 3175 Surf Scoter, and 38 White-winged Scoters kept the day very busy, while a solid 3648 Red-throated Loons made the day hectic at time! It's often hard to keep track of everything when a wave of loons totaling upwards of 500 birds comes through all in a few minutes! (Not to mention how tired my clicker hand gets!) A big shoutout to Chris Payne, previous Montclair Hawkwatcher and fresh off a season at the Florida Keys Hawkwatch, for helping count scoters while I was busy with loons.
That's all for last week! I encourage you to take a look at the individual numbers for each day, and stay tuned for this week's summary!
Good birding,
David Weber
Hawkwatch - Monday, November 19, 2018
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| Adult female Northern Harrier |
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| Juvenile Cooper's Hawk keeping watch from the hawkwatching platform |
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| Pied-billed Grebe |
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| Today's totals |
Hawkwatch - Sunday, November 18, 2018
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| Handsome male Eastern Bluebird. |
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| A late-season Peregrine Falcon. |
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| American Pipit. |
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| Juvenile Cooper's Hawk carrying a American Goldfinch. |
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| A late-season Broad-winged Hawk. |
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| Today's totals. |
Hawkwatch - Friday & Saturday, November 16 & 17, 2018
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| Adult Female Northern Harrier |
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| This flock of Sandhill Cranes flew right over the hawkwatch! |
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| Monarch |
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| The second of three Northern Goshawk seen today. |
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| Redhead |
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| Adult Red-shouldered Hawk |
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| Black-headed Gull walking around the parking lot on Friday morning! |
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| American Pipit |
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| Today's sightings from the hawkwatch. |
Hawkwatch - Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday, November 14, 15, 16, 2018
Howling east winds mixed with sleet and rain have put a damper on the day's migration. A few hardy raptors pushed through before the elements took hold.
Yesterday, Wednesday, was a thrilling late-fall day to scan the skies at the Cape May Hawk Watch. A steady stream of buteos moved throughout the entire day. An incredible movement of 15,683 American Robins and 5,404 American Goldfinches flooded the air with their presence. Within the first hour after daybreak a Common Redpoll and Lapland Longspur flew over the hawkwatch. Lines of Northern Gannets and Red-throated Loons streamed by over the Delaware Bay. Birds were all over the place. By the end of the day, 475 raptors were tallied from the hawkwatch.
Northern Goshawk are a late-season treat to witness in Cape May. Often times you have to put in the hours to see them, as they are very uncommon. This is the time of the fall when they can show up, especially after strong and forceful cold fronts move through.
Tomorrow's forecast is blustery northwest winds and clearing skies. The heavy snowfall that took place well north of us could spark an interesting flow of migration in the days to come.
See you at the hawkwatch!
Erik Bruhnke
Yesterday, Wednesday, was a thrilling late-fall day to scan the skies at the Cape May Hawk Watch. A steady stream of buteos moved throughout the entire day. An incredible movement of 15,683 American Robins and 5,404 American Goldfinches flooded the air with their presence. Within the first hour after daybreak a Common Redpoll and Lapland Longspur flew over the hawkwatch. Lines of Northern Gannets and Red-throated Loons streamed by over the Delaware Bay. Birds were all over the place. By the end of the day, 475 raptors were tallied from the hawkwatch.
Northern Goshawk are a late-season treat to witness in Cape May. Often times you have to put in the hours to see them, as they are very uncommon. This is the time of the fall when they can show up, especially after strong and forceful cold fronts move through.
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| Hooded Mergansers |
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| Bald Eagle |
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| Merlin carrying a Tree Swallow |
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| Adult Red-shouldered Hawk (bottom left) and juvenile Red-tailed Hawk (upper right). Two different buteo species. What differences do you see? |
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| Adult Peregrine Falcon |
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| One of the spectacular stars of the day... a Juvenile Northern Goshawk! |
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| Wednesday's totals. |
Tomorrow's forecast is blustery northwest winds and clearing skies. The heavy snowfall that took place well north of us could spark an interesting flow of migration in the days to come.
See you at the hawkwatch!
Erik Bruhnke
Morning Flight - Thursday, November 15, 2018 (the final day!)
There were still birds moving today on the final day of the count! 885 American Robins and 391 American Goldfinches made their way north past the count, with a fair number of other species present as well, albeit in small numbers. Raptors provided a classic backdrop to the flight as several Northern Harriers and a Merlin lifted off on developing thermals to join the Turkey Vultures and Black Vultures streaming towards in good numbers. A few sharpies, coops, Red-tails, and a lone kestrel joined the party shortly afterwards.
Although the scoter peak is behind us, the duck action still provided welcome company much the same way that shorebirds did back at the start of the season. 43 Hooded Mergansers, 12 Black Ducks, 7 Wood Ducks, 4 Greater Scaup and a Long-tailed Duck were the bonus waterfowl highlights.
After this surprising amount of activity for two hours, the count was ended by icy rain! We still had a northbound Blackpoll Warbler today, which I consider a fitting end to a stellar count season (at least in the latter half).
I would love to do a full-season report here, but I’ll have to save that for the “The Peregrine Observer,” CMBO’s annual publication. Members of the Cape May Bird Observatory get a copy of annual “The Peregrine Observer” included with membership, so if you appreciate the research, stewardship, and outreach work that CMBO does, please consider signing up to become a member! I promise it’ll be well worth it.
As always, you can find our official count totals on Trektellen here, and our complete eBird checklist of the day’s observations here.
Bring on the next season!
Morning Flight - Wednesday, November 14, 2018
Wow, what a great morning for the penultimate day of the count! Moderate NW winds and overcast skies characterized the scene from the dike this morning, and a quiet first fifteen minutes were soon met with a busy flight of American Robins and American Goldfinches. The robins started out strong as expected, but goldfinches weren’t waiting until the late morning to move in numbers and comprised a significant part of the flight early on. We finished with 12,800 American Robins for the morning, another solid flight for the season that puts us at 78,000 northbound individuals for the season!
Goldfinches, however, did not taper off and instead only increased in magnitude! I estimated that the average flock size coming by was 40, and there were a few 100+ ones too! Flocks came wave after wave over the impoundments and the far treeline, with a bonus line low along the leeward side of the dike. American Goldfinches have continually outdone themselves this season, and while they were not counted at the onset of the count, this is certainly an exceptional season: we finished with 13,996 northbound birds!
60 Pine Siskins and 38 Purple Finches accompanied the goldfinches, but House Finches were notably absent from the flight this morning. Yellow-rumped Warblers made a final push, as 518 of them went north past the dike. The bonus highlights of the morning were a flock of 21 Tundra Swans (a new species for the dike hotspot), and two Fox Sparrows, which are not annual for the count.
It’s strong ENE winds before day-long rain tomorrow, so there likely won’t be much happening for the final (!) day of the count tomorrow. Today is close enough to the end though that I’ll call it going out on a high note!
As always, you can find our official count totals on Trektellen here, and our complete eBird checklist of the day’s observations here.
Bring on the final day!
Seawatch - November 7-11, 2018
This past week was another great week, full of thousands and thousands of birds! Several days consisted mostly of distant birds thanks to westerly winds, but Friday the 9th had strong east winds that allowed for lots of very close birds!
Northbound + southbound totals:
Wednesday: 14,353
Thursday: 21,915
Friday: 22,143
Saturday: 9,267
Sunday: 10,266
Wednesday the 7th had a nice push of 2400+ Red-throated Loons and a nice 89 Bufflehead, but was otherwise dominated by many distant north and south bound scoter flocks, with a decent total of 4500+ southbound scoters.
Thursday the 8th had 12,000 southbound scoters thanks to more northly winds, a late push of 4440 Double-crested Cormorants, and over 1100 Laughing Gulls. 37 White-winged Scoters was a nice increase in White-winged numbers, as was 52 Long-tailed Ducks.
Friday the 9th had an excellent 22,000 birds thanks to strong 20mph east winds. 15,000 Black Scoter, 3300 Surf Scoter, and 42 White-winged Scoters were tallied, demonstrating how excellent of a flight there is in early November on east winds. 71 Greater Scaup, a few Redhead, and over 100 Green-winged Teal highlighted some of the diversity this day. Our morning flight counter, Andrew Dreelin, stopped by (as it was his day off), and he took some phenomenal photos that really showcase the close proximity of the primary flight line. CHECK IT OUT!
Saturday the 10th was much slower, with only around 3500 scoters, mostly very distant, but highlighted by 4 Tundra Swans, over 100 Bufflehead, and 1700 cormorants.
Sunday the 11th was busy in the morning and slow for the rest of the day, but the day was really carried by an excellent 588 Bufflehead, 143 Long-tailed Duck, 10 Horned Grebes, a Pied-billed Grebe, and two more Tundra Swans. There was also an nice evening scoter flight during the last 1-2 hours of the day, dominated mostly by Surf Scoter. Remember, the morning (and sometimes the last hour before sunset) is always the busiest, and coming out midday could make you think that the Seawatch doesn't have many birds!
Another week at the Seawatch, another 70,000 birds! Make sure to get on out soon while we are still at our peak! East winds or the morning after a cold snap should be very fruitful!
Northbound + southbound totals:
Wednesday: 14,353
Thursday: 21,915
Friday: 22,143
Saturday: 9,267
Sunday: 10,266
Thursday the 8th had 12,000 southbound scoters thanks to more northly winds, a late push of 4440 Double-crested Cormorants, and over 1100 Laughing Gulls. 37 White-winged Scoters was a nice increase in White-winged numbers, as was 52 Long-tailed Ducks.
Friday the 9th had an excellent 22,000 birds thanks to strong 20mph east winds. 15,000 Black Scoter, 3300 Surf Scoter, and 42 White-winged Scoters were tallied, demonstrating how excellent of a flight there is in early November on east winds. 71 Greater Scaup, a few Redhead, and over 100 Green-winged Teal highlighted some of the diversity this day. Our morning flight counter, Andrew Dreelin, stopped by (as it was his day off), and he took some phenomenal photos that really showcase the close proximity of the primary flight line. CHECK IT OUT!
Saturday the 10th was much slower, with only around 3500 scoters, mostly very distant, but highlighted by 4 Tundra Swans, over 100 Bufflehead, and 1700 cormorants.
Sunday the 11th was busy in the morning and slow for the rest of the day, but the day was really carried by an excellent 588 Bufflehead, 143 Long-tailed Duck, 10 Horned Grebes, a Pied-billed Grebe, and two more Tundra Swans. There was also an nice evening scoter flight during the last 1-2 hours of the day, dominated mostly by Surf Scoter. Remember, the morning (and sometimes the last hour before sunset) is always the busiest, and coming out midday could make you think that the Seawatch doesn't have many birds!
Another week at the Seawatch, another 70,000 birds! Make sure to get on out soon while we are still at our peak! East winds or the morning after a cold snap should be very fruitful!
Morning Flight - Tuesday, November 13, 2018
Rained out! Here's hoping for some birds on tomorrow's overnight NW winds!
For now, data proofing.
Bring on the next day!
For now, data proofing.
Bring on the next day!
Morning Flight - Monday, November 12, 2018
There were a surprising number of birds continuing south past Higbee on today’s light east winds! 1,855 American Robins comprised the bulk of the songbird abundance, and moderate numbers of the regular finches were mixed in as well. Two northbound Dickcissels were great bonus birds for what I anticipated would be a tranquil morning.
Tomorrow may be a rain-out, but Wednesday could be good!
As always, you can find our official count totals on Trektellen here, and our complete eBird checklist of the day’s observations here.
Bring on the next day!
Morning Flight - Sunday, November 11, 2018
It was a steadily busy morning at Higbee today! 2,880 American Robins flew north along the far treeline while 503 goldfinches bounced across the breadth of the dike in flocks. Some Purple Finches (22), House Finches (12), and Pine Siskins (7) were mixed in, but not quite in the numbers hoped for. It will be interesting to see how birdy this late season count period will be in falls where October wasn’t laden with cold fronts.
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| Robins at sunrise. |
4 Red-breasted Nuthatches, 2 Rusty Blackbirds, 8 Eastern Bluebirds, and 6 Hooded Mergansers that flew down the bay were the diversity bonus of the morning. Tomorrow and Tuesday’s forecast looks grim, but Wednesday could be productive!
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| Rusty Blackbird across the Delaware Bay. |
As always, you can find our official count totals on Trektellen here, and our complete eBird checklist of the day’s observations here.
Bring on the next day!